No Strings Attached
by xshutupanddancex
Summary: "I mock you. I insult you to no end, I DESTROYED your village." Sasori's voice, in contrast to his intense gaze, remained deathly calm. "No matter how much I try to push you away, you're always there. Why?" His look turned desperate, and it broke my heart. "Because," I began, trying to hold back my emotions. "You're letting me."


Bodies. Dead bodies everywhere. The sight made me sick to my stomach and brought tears to my eyes. I let a soft gasp escape from my lips as I stared at the familiar faces of the bodies that lay in front of me. These were my people. Some of them I've grown close to, and the others I met occasionally on the streets of Iwagakure. I wanted to run away, but my feet wouldn't let me. I stood there, frozen. I lift up my hands to see them trembling in fear.

"Emi!" a loud voice brought me back to reality.

I turned to the source of the voice and found Onoki-sensei rushing towards me.

"Sensei…" my voice broke as I let the tears fall from my eyes. "Who could do such a thing?"

Onoki-sensei's expression turned from worry, to sadness, before being masked by hatred. "Deidara, and his friends from the Akatsuki."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Deidara did this? My best friend who was kidnapped six months ago, did this to our beloved village?

"No, it can't be. There must be a mistake. Deidara… Deidara wouldn't do this to us… to me." My body was suddenly not my own.

"Emi! Come back!"

I wasn't thinking straight. I let my feet take me to wherever it wanted to go. I could hear Onoki-sensei's furious cries as he called out my name. I doubt he followed me, because just as I had left, I heard a loud sound resonate from one of the nearby mountains.

I knew I should've gone back. My people needed me, and here I was, running away. But it was the only way I could think properly. The tunnel… a place Deidara and I used to visit whenever we were troubled, was my haven. Maybe, after I calmed myself, I would be able to go back to the village and fight. I just had to… be alone for a while.

"I knew you'd come here, un." The familiar voice made chills run down my spine.

"Deidara…" I turned to face him. He was smirking at me, something he used to do when he was up to no good. It was something that once made me feel warm inside, but now made me anxious. "So Onoki-sensei was right then. You joined the Akatsuki. You destroyed our village!"

Deidara's expression faltered for a brief moment. "I left because no one here understands me, un. No one in this village appreciated my art! Everyone mocked me, teased me, and always said that my art was a menace to society. But now, now I am free to use it any time I please! The Akatsuki set me free, un!"

"I appreciated your art." My voice was just above a whisper as I spoke. "Doesn't my opinion count?"

Deidara's gaze softened as he slowly approached me. I took a step back.

"Emi-chan… that is why I hoped you'd come here. So I could talk to you." Deidara reached out a hand, but I simply stared at it, not wanting to meet his gaze. Deidara sighed and dropped his hand to his side. "Iwagakure doesn't deserve someone as good as you, un. You may not be the most skilled fighter in the village, but you have heart. You have passion. And with a little practice, you may even surpass Onoki-sensei's skills, un."

I looked up and narrowed my eyes at him. "What are you saying, Deidara?"

"Come with me." His face displayed no emotion as he spoke. "I can talk to leader-sama about letting you join the Akatsuki. We can be together again, Emi-chan. Just like the old times."

I stayed silent for a few moments before giving him my answer. "I can't, Deidara."

Deidara's body tensed. "Why not, un? Didn't you miss fighting with me, un?"

I shook my head. "I can't betray my village. I'm surprised you let your immaturity get the best of you, Deidara."

Deidara let a small growl escape his lips. "The village betrayed me first, un!"

"No, the village never betrayed you. We never turned our backs on you. You were too busy thinking about the people who never appreciated you, that you overlooked those who did."

"Did?" Deidara's voice cracked.

"I'm sorry, Deidara, but I can't be friends with someone who betrays their family." I bit my tongue before I could say any more.

The moment Deidara left many months ago, my heart broke for him. And now, after seeing what he has become, I could feel the aching sensation in my heart once again.

"I just hope you won't regret your decision, Emi-chan." Deidara spoke sadly.

"Deidara!" A gravelly voice cut our conversation short.

Deidara and I simultaneously turned our attention to the new arrival. He was an old man with a hunched back. His voice alone could make dozens of children weep.

"What's taking you so long? You know I don't like to be kept waiting." After the old man finished his sentence, he acknowledged my presence. "Ah, I see you have not taken care of her yet."

"Sasori-"

"Enough of this stalling, Deidara." The man named Sasori snarled. "Kill her. After all, that's what you came here for, right?"

I glared at Deidara and took my stance. "So this was all a trick, eh? All the things you said about me being too good for the village? You were only distracting me so you could take me out when I least expected it, is that right?"

"Emi-chan, you have to understand, un. I-"

I raised my hand, signaling him to stop talking. "Enough is enough, Deidara. You've gone too far. You must be stopped."

"Tch." Sasori scoffed. "This little girl thinks she can beat the Akatsuki? Show her, Deidara. Kill her."

"I-I can't, Sasori-danna," Deidara furiously shook his head as he took a few steps back.

"You're still too weak." Sasori snapped. He turned his attention back to me. "Well then, if you're not going to kill her, I will."

In one swift move, Sasori had managed to take one of Deidara's clay bombs and chuck it towards me.

"It's more tragic if the village people think you're the one who killed her." Sasori calmly explained to a frightened Deidara.

"Emi-chan! NO!"

"Destructive Rising Rock Pillars technique!" I made a few quick hand seals before the ground from below us grumbled. My rock pillars had stopped the clay bomb just in time, although as a result of their collision, the pillars exploded, sending small pieces of rock flying everywhere.

I coughed as the dust surrounded me. I couldn't see anything clearly, but I could make out two figures jumping on what looked like a giant bird. The bird carried them away.

"Someday, Deidara. Someday I will get you back."


End file.
